Coffee- My Favorite Supplement

We don't recommend any supplements beyond fish oils and a multi for clients. Why? Don't I believe that there are some benefit to certain supplement products? Maybe, but I'm not willing to get on that slippery slope. Supplements are not heavily regulated by the FDA so the marketing and ingredients can be misleading. As such, once you start recommending supplements to clients, you are opening a huge can of worms in my opinion. I believe you can get 99% of what you need from whole foods and that you only need to supplement in special cases.

A great example of a real food that can benefit your health and your workouts is coffee. First, nothing beats a good ole cup of Joe to start your day right. Next, there is a ton of research to support that coffee is good for your well being as well as your performance.

According to this article:

"Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better."

At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

What about the performance benefits?

"What caffeine likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD. "That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance, studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things."

The bottom line: "People who already drink a lot of coffee don't have to feel 'guilty' as long as coffee does not affect their daily life," says Hu. "They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long run."

That's what I like to hear- no guilt with my coffee!

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More Stuff:

Thinking of buying your teenage son a bench and barbell for the basement? You may want to consider a set of dumbbells instead. USC football article.

I had the pleasure of meeting Wendy Rilling Lebolt last Saturday. She is the daughter of one of our clients and a PHD exercise physiologist in Virginia. Wendy specializes in ACL prevention in female athletes. If you work with female athletes or have one in the house, head over to Wendy's site.

Here are some great ideas from Nick Tumminello on how to work around bad knees. Nick writes some of the best FREE info on the web.

Rick Mayo

Exercise of the Week- Single Leg Box Squats

This is something that I have been meaning to start for a while now. Each week I'll feature an exercise and explain the performance and benefits.

Here goes:

Single Leg Box Squat




Benefits- Box squats are a fantastic exercise for teaching "butt back" form on the squat. While traditional box squats with a barbell are often prescribed for athletes, we find the risk to benefit ratio to be out of line with our adult clientele. Enter the SL box squat. You get all of the glute activation benefits of a traditional box squat coupled with a relatively heavy load (squatting your body weight) all without heavy spinal loading. Additionally, you are challenging stability through your lower limbs, hips and core.

Form- Make certain to sit back until your glutes are lightly touching the box. Don't just "plop down" and relax. Maintain tension throughout your working leg. Keep you hips square as if you are standing on two feet. Hold your arms outr front to counter balance and promote good posture.

Progressions- Use a lower box or add load. Adding a dumbbell or medicine ball can make this a great power movement.

Especially good for- Anyone with a history of back trouble and people who struggle with traditional squat form. We love this exercise for our female clients. It's increases the awareness of those that struggle to maintain proper hip/knee (Q-Angle) alignment.

We use this exercise in nearly all of our programs in some capacity. Give them a try and let us know what you think!

RM

Back in the Saddle

It's taken me nearly a week to get up to speed after a week away. So much for a career that just "let's you workout all day."



An impromptu workout. Burpees, clean and press with a giant boulder and some one arm body weight rows with a rock (or Paul humping a tree).



The trip was awesome! Jackson, Yellowstone and surrounding areas are truly beautiful places to behold. We camped all week, showered by jumping in quite possibly the coldest lake-ever and rode over 1500 miles in the process.

















One of the great things about our motorcycle trips is that while you are with other guys, you really get to spend the bulk of the time by yourself. Just riding and thinking about all things. I find myself thinking about how thankful I am to be able to do what I love each and every day, the relationships that my business allows me to develop (I met both of my riding buddies through the gym) and if the new A-Team movie is really going to live up to the standards of the TV series. Hmm.























A couple of bald eagles keeping watch over our campsite

















Back to fitness stuff soon.

RM

Get your motor runnin.........

Somewhere outside of Crested Butte on a previous trip.

I'm off for a week of riding, camping and overall mayhem in Jackson Hole. This is my annual man trip with the boys and it is an awesome way to recharge.

I'll leave you with a keen observation from Chuck H, a client who really gets "it".

I am repairing a "trike" and had to pick up a part from the owner this past week. The most convenient place for us to meet was at LA Fitness on Windward Parkway. I waited outside the entrance for the part and owner to show up. It was 5:30 ish and I could not believe how many people were entering this facility. I started to notice a pattern to the people that were headed into the gym. NO ONE was smiling, NO ONE was happy, NO ONE was looking forward to their work out.

Stand outside NPPT and observe the folks entering the doors, EVERYONE is smiling, EVERYONE looks happy, EVERYONE seems like they are looking forward to their workout.

A simple observation !! Kudos to your team and your leadership.

See you next week!

More NPPT Success

Did I mention that I love my job! When this is in your inbox in the morning, how could you be anything but thankful?

Rick,

I want to share my recent results from the annual thalium stress test taken last Wednesday. As you might recall, I had bypass surgery in August 2004, and was told that I will fight the plaque build-up battle for the rest of my life.

Because of your facility, NorthPoint Personal Training, and your decision to allow customers who train there to use the cardio equipment as often as needed, I'm sure that my recent results are due to your business helping me improve my overall health. I also want to give credit to both Brad Shipp and Joe Rummels, with whom I train with twice a week, and the positive attitude of your entire group of personal trainers. Specifcally, the workouts that aim to improve cardio while
also concentrating on muscle tone and flexibility, led me to the results which my cardiologist said were "absolutely perfect.
It couldn't be better." The test revealed better blood flow throughout the heart, due to improved muscle build-up from the cardio program.

Specifically, I owe you a debt of gratitude for the service NPPT provides to its' customers.

Bye the way, when you do your first infomercial, you now know who your national spokesperson will be.

Thanks to everyone,

Richie Harwood
5 year customer of NPPT

Great work Richie!

What do YOU do?

I was just ask this question yesterday by a during a consult with a new client. I am asked this often, as if there is really some secret, Jedi training routine hidden in a vault in the back of our gym. "Oh, you want to get in REALLY good shape? Let me show you what we can do for you." (I then proceed to escort the client to the back of the gym like a creepy video store owner)

It is a fair question, since I face many of the same challenges as many of our clients. Also, I am no longer a "yoked up" bodybuilder so regular folks can identify with me a little better. Living in the burbs with two active kids, choking traffic, fast approaching 40 (ouch) and a business to run can keep you hopping. Once a new client establishes that I have life not unlike their own and don't just workout out all day everyday, they want to know my personal routine.

Guess what? It looks similar to the programs we design for other busy folks with like challenges.

Here is a basic outline of our prescription:

Strength Training- 3 full-body routines weekly performed on alternate days. Why full body and not split routines? Training your entire body in the same session gives you more bang for your buck in terms of time invested, calories burned and metabolic boost. You train three alternate days a week instead of 4 or 5 days a week. Additionally, studies support that the same weekly training volume spread out over three days produces MORE muscle gain then that same volume performed just once a week. Example: instead of doing 15 sets of chest on Monday, do 5 sets on three alternate days. Same weekly volume, better results!

Cardio- If your full-body weight training is performed in a circuit fashion, you don't need much additional cardio training. We typically bunch exercises into super sets (2 exercises back to back) or into mini circuits (3 or 4 exercises in a row). A basic example looks like this:

1 A. Squat 3 x 6- lower body
B. Push-up 3 x 10- upper body
C. Pallof Press 3 x 12- core


This type of workout will keep your heart rate elevated, build muscle and save you tons of time. If you have more than 3 hours a week to exercise, add some high intensity cardio on your off days. This workout is typically referred to as interval training and looks something like this:

Warm-up- 5 minutes
Intervals- go hard for 60 seconds/ easy for 120 seconds- repeat 7 x (21 min)
Cool down- 5 minutes
Total workout time- 31 minutes

Lifestyle activities- I think this is grossly underestimated for health and weight control. Just get out and be active. Gotta take your son/daughter to soccer practice? Walk around the park while they practice. Go for a stroll with the better half. How about a leasuely bike ride on the weekend? While we may not chalk these activities up as structured exercise, they have profound long-term effects on your body fat and general well-being.

So what IS my weekly routine? Brace yourself....

M- Full-body Strength Training- heavy weights/low volume
T- Sprints or walk with the Mrs.(hand holding optional)
W- Full-body strength training- medium weights/ medium volume
TH- Sprints or walk around the soccer park
F- Full-body strength training- low weights/high volume/circuits
S- Rest or Active
S- Rest or Active

There you have it. An effective, time efficient routine for a busy dad. No secret vault or seedy backroom needed.

Rick Mayo

TRX

I am proud to announce that we recently adopted the TRX as the official suspension training tool of NPPT. Those of you that follow us already know they we are huge proponents of suspension training. We use it in our Group Personal Training and in our Personal Training programs. As a matter of fact, we currently have 10 TRX trainers hanging in the gym and at given times, every single TRX is in use. One of my coaches actually suggested that we pick up a few more!

Why TRX? After 18 years in business, I can tell you that we only use tools that are of the best quality and that produce results. There are a handful of suspension trainers on the market, but none can hold a candle to the TRX in terms of quality and value.

Here are just a few reasons to consider the TRX over other suspension tools:

1. Quality- We run a very high end facility in an affluent area north of Atlanta. As such, our clients expect a certain level of quality when it comes to the equipment we provide. The TRX fits the bill perfectly! It looks great and provides more creature comforts (awesome handles) than other suspension trainers. To a person, our clients have commented on how nice the TRX looks and feels.

2. Durability- The latest version of the TRX is literally bomb proof. We owned the original TRX, which was great, but the latest version is even better. With the amount of use that our equipment endures, durability is of utmost importance

3. Ease of use- We conduct well over 2,000 sessions a month, mostly in a semi-private (2-4) format. It is very important that all of our equipment is highly versatile and easy to adjust. Once again, the TRX reigns supreme. With the patented foot straps, quick release buckles and easily adjustable length, we can move seamlessly from upper body to lower body to core exercises.

4. Value- I think it was Mike Boyle who said, "If you only use the TRX for rows, you are saving yourself over $2k on one machine!" Seriously, there is not a single tool that we recommend more often to our online clients or our consulting clients (gym owners) than the TRX. There are an endless number of exercises that can be performed with a tool that costs less than $200.

These are just a few reasons why we chose the TRX. Look for more posts soon on how to use the TRX in your own workouts and/or with clients.



RM